Dempsey, Bradley, Defoe lead 2014 MLS salary figures

The Major League Soccer Players Union released the most recent salary figures for the 2014 MLS season on Thursday, and it’s the league’s most recent signings who top the charts.

Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, and Jermain Defoe are all set to earn north of $5 million guaranteed this season, taking the place of fellow Designated Players Landon Donovan ($4.58 million), Robbie Keane ($4.5 million), and Thierry Henry ($4.35 million) as the league’s highest paid earners.

Dempsey’s guaranteed salary this season is $6,695,189, an increase of approximately $1.66 million from last season’s salary of just over $5 million guaranteed. Bradley is second in the league with $6.5 million guaranteed followed by his Toronto FC teammate Defoe at $6.18 million guaranteed.

Other players new to the salary list include Maurice Edu ($650,000) and Michael Parkhurst ($300,000), both of whom returned to the league in the offseason, while players such as Mike Magee ($417,500) and Eddie Johnson ($613,333) both received big pay raises this year.

————-

What do you think of these salaries? Do you see any summer signings topping Dempsey in the salary charts? Surprised at any of the figures?

Crazy to think that Dempsey earns more in one game than the following list of his teammates earn for the entire season (who are all potential starters): Frei, Neagle, Traore, Pappa, Pineda, Remick, Yedlin, Gonzalez, Anibaba, & Azira

Nice to see many of the highest paid players playing well and earning their salaries. Hopefully other team will be more motivated to buy top players a little younger, and not be afraid to splash out the cash to do so.

I like that they’re starting to splash the cash on the younger talent. If they would just raise the salary cap to about 5-6 million the league would improve dramatically. We need to be able to pay players that 250k-400k that the market requires us to.

I thought it was because they foresaw the league becoming 1 of the world’s best

but seriously how close were these 2 to CL? If they were going to play in the CL with their respective clubs, would they have stayed? I believe Bradley was making 1 million euros a year. Dempsey was making like 4 million euros a year

I think both of them easily could have gotten onto a guaranteed CL team in a lesser league if they wanted, so I highly doubt they would have stayed on their current squads, given their role at the time. It’s difficult, or more likely impossible, to say how much the money vs. their desire to come home and grow MLS, weighed into their decisions.

Henry wanted to be in New York more than Defoe wanted to be in Toronto, so it took less money to convince him to play there. Plus, Defoe has to play in all the games he’s healthy for and not just the games on grass.

I agree it’s mostly due to it being a newer contract. However, at this point, Defoe is probably a better player than Henry, or pretty close at least anyway. Plus if he helps the team win, that absolutely attracts fans. As far as “prestige” I think that’s something that only worries eurosnobs so I don’t think it’s too important.

Defoe bringing more fans and prestige than Henry? I feel your premise was almost purposefully built in the sand. Look up Defoe, his history and relevance to the game.

Here is what Wikipedia has to say about Henry:

Henry has received many plaudits and awards in his football career. He was runner-up for the 2003 and 2004 FIFA World Player of the Year awards; in those two seasons, he also won back-to-back PFA Players’ Player of the Year titles. Henry is the only player ever to have won the FWA Footballer of the Year three times (2003, 2004, 2006), and the French Player of the Year on a record four occasions. Henry was voted into the Premier League Overseas Team of the Decade in the 10 Seasons Awards poll in 2003, and in 2004 he was named by football legend Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers.
In terms of goal-scoring awards, Henry was the European Golden Boot winner in 2004 and 2005 (sharing it with Villarreal’s Diego Forlán in 2005). Henry was also the top goal-scorer in the Premier League for a record four seasons (2002, 2004, 2005, 2006). In 2006, he became the first player to score more than 20 goals in the league for five consecutive seasons (2002 to 2006). Henry is currently third in the list of all-time Premier League goal-scorers, behind Alan Shearer and Andy Cole. Given his accomplishments, France’s all-time goal-scorer was in his prime regarded by many coaches, footballers and pundits as one of the best footballers in the world. In November 2007, he was ranked 33rd on the Association of Football Statisticians’ compendium for “Greatest Ever Footballers”.

Ian, I would say, Escobar Andres F $647,000.00 for fc dallas. That’s a lot of money for just 38 minutes so far. Although I must say I don’t follow FCD all that much.
I realize the season is young but he should be starting or be shipped out.

as a ‘Quakes fan I couldn’t agree more. also, jason hernandez at 213,333.33 is rediculous for a bench warmer. we shipped out Beitashour & Morrow, which are earning less and much better players but kept hernandez?! FO fail.

MLS is still glaringly stigmatized in the eyes of “world class players.” Just the other day Zlatan Ibrahimovich was quoted as saying after PSG, he’ll either retire or play at a lower level, and every pundit immediately inserted MLS into the conversation.

If you’re a world class talent in your prime, do you really want to skip the big Euro leagues for a league that’s broadly considered – right or wrong – lower quality? Nope.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. We’re pulling younger and younger marquee players to our league. Robbie Keane is torn up this league from day one, and he came at 31. Jermaine Defoe is 31, I believe. Then of course we’ve got Deuce and Bradley here now. So it’s only a matter of time before we’re pulling big names here in their mid-20s.

Even though $23 an hour is above minimum wage it’s is still pretty low. $23 an hour is slightly above the national average living wage but in some cities that won’t cut it especially if you want start a family.

Remember that players are in dead end jobs . Only a handful will make good career money. Most will not. The career is over before you are forty, at best, and usually ends long before that by being cut or injured. The wages are truly horrible for the great bulk of players.

MLS has abrogated free markets for labor. Teddy Roosevelt knew what to do, bust the trusts.

its a living wage at least, better than it used to be in MLS where some guys were making poverty level wages. Hopefully the players union is able to get a higher minimum salary in the next contract, and a higher salary cap, spread the wealth a little more.

you have to consider the potential that comes with being a professional. especially for a kid who has never been paid a dime, any regular check is a bonus. however, their eyes are always set on a bigger payday in the future.

The top 10 paid players in Mexico make about 20 mill a year combined with Chupete Suazo being the highest paid at around 3 mill.
How does this compare with MLS ?
Increase the cap or redistribute the wealth?

Mexico is better because there isn’t as large a disparity. If you are a top 5 player, you want to be in the MLS, otherwise you want to be in Mexico because you will make more. That is more important because the core of your starting team is made up of your top 3rd/ top half and they make more in Liga MX

LOL, really brah? I’m sure the dead woman in that car would trade for that “sad reminder”… also remember he did sue for $20 million. He still married his college girlfriend, so how many millions would you prefer he was earning?

Graham Zusi and Matt Beasler better play their hearts out at the WC and cash out after. Omar’s salary surprised me a little and I was shocked to that LA pays Leonardo, He plays like he’s doing them a favor

It’s a shame that when it comes to players’ salaries per minute played, there are is such a discrepancy even in the same team. A team is supposed to be a team. I can only presume that the managers who are willing to pay that much are not really clear about which players are really good among those who have not achieved star power.

Did you see any suitors? Nothing against Wondo… I think he’s good for a few goals in the right spot… but I have never heard of an EPL team bidding for his 31 year old @ss. Or even his 29 year old @ass a couple years ago. He’s a good player and a great poacher and I like him, but EPL teams aren’t in the biz of buying 30-ish American strikers w no European experience.

KC, Portland and RSL apparently have the best front offices in the league. Is there another professional league where results seem to be less of a function of salary than MLS?

Seriously, if I were to throw all the names on that list into a hat and have teams draft them, and then correlate the order of the players selected with the salaries on that list, I would bet my life that the correlation is 30-40% at best. It really makes me appreciate soccer a bit more, in that small market teams can actually compete without dumping millions into the best players.

Do you recall that Toronto passed on Dempsey because they thought it “in the best interests of the league for him, an American, to play in the US”. Apparently, this did not apply to Bradley. Face it the whole thing was rigged by MLS.

the salary cap needs to be increased from 3 million now to 5 million by 2020

it has to be done and then say 10 million by 2030 if not sooner

some fear the league will implode. it won’t . it’s been around for nearly 20 years. it’s not going away. tons of americans follow Spanish and English football teams half a world away. if we brought the money and the stars here, they’d support local teams and homegrown players. it will happen. we just have to be patient. gone are the days of having 5,000 fans attending games in stadiums for 60,000 people.

The next collective bargaining agreement renegotiation is in 2015 I believe. It should go up to $5million if they do not want to start to loose their best players to Liga MX. If you are a great youth player in Southern Cali, Liga MX looks more attractive.

I have no problem Wondo and Alonso salaries, but I do have a problem both Wondo and Alonso being DPs. DP salary should be at least $750k. While making Gonzalez a DP with that salary = idiotic move, Gonzalez isn’t top three defenders or a top draw in MLS, or well known name International.